"Where am I?" Hermione groaned. She looked around the same gigantic room with the preposterously large windows. Well, the fluffy bed was indeed real. It wasn't just a dream. Everything seemed like a dream. She closed her eyes as she felt a warm golden gaze in the room. Someone was watching her. Jasper? Hermione rolled over to find a pair of the brightest golden eyes. The vampire in her other dreams was real, and apparently a Medic. He wasn't Jasper Hale.
Hermione shot straight up on her bed. Her golden brown eyes searched for any of the friends she actually knew. Before she could stand Hermione felt a cold hand on her shoulders. It was firm, but soothing. Carlisle's velvet voice repeated her name. It echoed until the fog completely lifted. Carlisle Cullen was a calming presence. He seemed used to these situations.
"You're alright, Hermione. Everyone is safe. I'm Carlisle, Jasper's dad." the velvet voice soothed her headache. Hermione looked around, trying to calm her breaths. The door. An exit.
"What happened?" Hermione couldn't bring herself to look at anything but the door. He better have a proper explanation. She was ready to blast the door open, even without magic.
"What happened? Alice?" She repeated herself. Jasper. Harry. Oh Merlin. Did she kill Jasper?
"Everyone is safe." Carlisle repeated. Hermione slightly relaxed. She slowly met Carlisle's face as he began to explain. He was every bit as breathtaking as Jasper. Well, almost. His voice illuminated the room.
"Alice didn't attack you. She sees the future, and she saw a possible way to stop you from Turning. To be precise, Alice purposely overwhelmed you into fainting. Apparently, an unconscious state slows the Turning." Carlisle slowly explained, not realizing how fast Hermione could process information.
"Please. Continue." She immediately prompted.
"I believe she's horrified you enough to permanently stop it's progression. That was her purpose in welcoming you to Forks..in that way. I'm going to give you some options." Carlisle sped up to meet the witches intellect. He didn't have to ease her into anything.
"We can try and reverse the venom: you'll be 100% witch. I've asked Mr. Ron Weasley to come and assist Harry. They'll be donating blood. It might take a few months of transfusions before everything in your system is replaced." He offered. She stayed silent.
Carlisle suddenly fought an urge to look away. Hermione looked both helpless and determined. In all his years as a Doctor, he was just as uncertain. He was also determined, and equally helpless. Cases like this were beyond centuries of Medical training.
"And the other option?" Hermione bit her lip. She wouldn't involve Ron or Harry in any of this. Hermione would die before she would take their blood.
"The other option is to stay this way. You can choose to remain.. is a mix of mystery." Carlisle hit a nerve. Mystery and Hermione don't mix. What she's chosen to become can't possibly be a mystery. There must be an answer.
"I'm sorry, but can you please elaborate on this mystery?" Hermione's eyes steeled. Carlisle adjusted his glasses and leaned forward on his chair.
"This is purely based on my observation. You kept your magical abilities, that won't change. But it seems you can't use your hand to cast spells. You might have to live with a newborn's appetite, but not for blood. Your scent has become less appetizing since you've arrived. That is your current state, and it's your option to stay this way. A mix of mystery." He finished.
The silence in the room was deadening. Hermione continued to stare at the door. She waited for specifics. Details.
"You're more than welcome to stay with us and accustom yourself in Forks. Or re-enter the Wizarding World." Carlisle soothed. Hermione snapped her head to glare at Carlisle. She gripped the sheets underneath her so hard that her small frame began to tremble.
Did this kook honestly believe she could make housing decisions on completely vague factors?
"You need to tell me precisely what I am. America or England! Really? How can I possibly choose where to live, if I don't even know what I am!" Hermione nearly screamed.
Everyone in the Cullen's residence completely tensed. Hermione may have been partially Turned, but she was also a witch. Her screaming was enough reason to panic. Cold ones didn't panic, until she came along. Carlisle was the only calm one within a hundred mile radius. He simply looked at her.
Carlisle rose from his seat and leisurely walked around, taking in the paintings of the room. His voice was as calm as ever. He stopped to gently sit at the foot of Hermione's bed. She flinched. This was something Hermione's dad would do, whenever she was upset. She no longer had a family, though. She didn't even know what she was. Despite her stubborn anger, Hermione fell apart. Carlisle waited for her breaths to even out before he spoke.
"We have a shape shifter in our family. A werewolf as you would say. My grandson's name is Jacob Black. It might surprise the Daily Prophet to learn of him. You see, Jake is distantly related to the Wizarding Family of Blacks. Those pureblood socialites don't even know their own heritage." Carlisle chuckled as he looked out the window. He sensed Hermione's despair turn into shock. Now he would have to go slowly.
Carlisle gracefully stood up and continued to pace the pale blue walls of the room. He chose to appreciate a painting of a dove, as he spoke. He stared at the dove. Carlisle didn't want Hermione's trembling to distract him from this important... teaching moment.
"Heritage.. There are pretty interesting things about ancestral names. Did you know that Mason is the ancestral name of Diggory? My son, Edward. He bears a striking resemblance to your old friend. And for good reason." Carlisle continued, now locking eyes with Hermione.
"Everything is connected, Hermione. It's of no consequence what you become and where you live."
"What matters is the 'way' you live... with 'what' you are, 'wherever' you are. That's the real magic." Carlisle mused. Hermione gradually stopped trembling. Her mind was processing thoughts very slowly. For once, her brain wasn't rushing. A long silence filled the room. Carlisle waited. Hermione looked down on her darkened hand. She slowly looked forward.
"Where is my trunk?" Hermione's voice was just above a whisper. It was enough. Carlisle was perfectly right. She would catch on quickly.
This was the same lesson that convinced Jasper to join the Cullen's. Even then, it took Carlisle a while to show Jasper that he was more than his nature. He had a family, even if his real family was gone. Jasper had the Cullen's. Jasper had a choice. He had the choice to move forward.
"I'll wait downstairs with your things. Your trunk will be waiting for your departure. We'll book the first flight to Australia." Carlisle soothed. He moved to stand up when a rather determined voice reached his ears.
"No. I'm going back.. with Harry and Ron." Hermione stared. Mum and dad are alive, and safe. Even if they'll never remember her, they would want her to be happy. To let go. To move on. Hermione had a choice, she still had a family. Witch. Vampire. It didn't matter what she was, was still Hermione Granger.
"Of course." Carlisle couldn't be prouder.
"Carlisle?"
"I know, Jasper's alright. Come down when you're ready."